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Athletics' Chad Pinder: Snaps out of modest slump

by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire

Pinder went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in a loss to the Red Sox on Wednesday.

The valued utility man had gone 1-for-14 over his previous four games, so Wednesday's effort represented a return to the type of production Pinder regularly generated during the majority of April. The 27-year-old hit .306 overall during the month despite the aforementioned downturn, churning out eight multi-hit tallies overall. Pinder figures to continue earning regular playing time through both his vast positional versatility and his solid bat.

Pinder will start at second base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Red Sox.

The Athletics will include Pinder in the lineup for the fourth consecutive contest and for the eighth time in nine games. Pinder hasn't exactly made the most of the extra opportunities lately with an 0-for-10 showing at the dish over the past three games, but he's still managing a respectable .281/.316/.449 line for the season. With Jurickson Profar sitting for a second straight day and struggling to find a rhythm at the dish at any point through the first month and change of the campaign, it wouldn't be surprising if Pinder received an extended look in a full-time role.

Pinder went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and two runs in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday.

Pinder's second straight multi-hit effort and seventh overall in April served as the latest installment in his red-hot start to the season. The versatile 27-year-old is now hitting .314 across his first 74 plate appearances, and his production Tuesday pushed his April average to a blistering .358. Given his offensive success and considerable positional versatility, Pinder looks poised to continue enjoying regular playing time.

Pinder had started six of the Athletics' last seven games, notching 10 hits -- including four for extra bases -- in 26 at-bats while scoring eight runs and plating four more. The utility man doesn't have a direct path to an everyday role, but the Athletics won't struggle to find ways to keep him in the lineup at least semi-regularly while he wields a hot bat.

Pinder went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Wednesday against the Orioles.

Pinder took Dan Straily deep in the second inning to record his third home run of the season. He's taken advantage of poor Baltimore pitching and a friendly hitting environment, racking up five hits across his past nine at-bats. Though he doesn't appear in the lineup every game, Pinder has proven that he can produce in limited playing time with a hot start to the season.